Every Best Picture Oscar Winner Ranked Worst To Best
3. The Godfather (1972)
Francis Ford Coppola’s flawless adaptation of Maria Puzo’s bestselling novel, The Godfather remains in the hearts of moviegoers everywhere as perhaps the definitive portrayal of the mob, corruption, and innocence lost in American cinema.
Charting the fall and rise of embattled mob heir Michael Corleone as he attempts to survive the carnage surrounding his family, the drama changed the face of cinema forever with its sweeping yet intimate construction, shocking action sequences, and towering character development.
There are almost too many strengths within the movie to list here, but the career-best performances of Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton, and Marlon Brando cannot go unmentioned, and neither can Gordon Willis's haunting cinematography, which brings everything to life with a dark yet vibrant sense of foreboding.
The Godfather changed everything about the way audiences saw the world, and it's rarely been topped since its release.